What is it exactly about St. John, Virgin
Island beaches that make them so special?
Location
St. John beaches are located on the island of St.
John, in the US Virgin Islands, one of the loveliest, friendliest
and most beautiful places in the world. The climate is tropical,
but moderated by the ever-present trade winds. Moreover, St.
John is an American Paradise, a territory of the U.S.A.
St. John Sand Sand is
an integral part of any beach. The sand that carpets the beaches
on St. John, Virgin Islands is especially soft, powdery and
sensual.
St. John sand comes from the Coral
Reef and, as such, is finer than terrestrial sand that
comes from the weathering of rocks.
Moreover, this soft, silky sand extends into the sea so that
wading into the water is a pleasant experience as opposed to,
for example, walking over sharp rocks or slimy seaweed.
Water
Here on St. John in the Virgin Islands, the Caribbean Sea is
warm and inviting, even in the winter. And because there are
no rivers, large tides or strong currents, the water is clear
and clean. The water is
not murky, you can see right to the bottom.
The sea surrounding St. John is also extremely colorful. It's
a veritable feast for the eyes. There are varying shades of
turquoise where the water lies over a sandy bottom, darker blues
where the sea is deeper, greenish tints where below lies beds
of sea grass and hints of reds and oranges over shallow coral
reefs.
Proximity of the Coral Reef
Almost all the beaches have nearby reefs fringing the sides
of the bays that embrace them and around the protecting headlands
on both sides of the bays. These near shore reefs are shallow
enough for excellent snorkeling in
an especially friendly and unthreatening environment.
View
From just about any beach on St. John, one can enjoy a panorama
of islands whose emerald green mountainsides rise from the
clear blue Caribbean in the near distance, as well as a myriad
of smaller cays, rocks and bays. This view is far superior
to the limited view of the sea and the horizon beyond found
at most other beaches in the world.
Topography
St. John beaches are found within relatively small bays, surrounded
by green hills and bordered by shade-providing, tropical vegetation
such as coconut palms, sea grapes and beach mahos. This contrasts
favorably with beaches that lie on a long straight coastline,
and which are set against a low-lying, commercially-developed
or uninteresting background.
Furthermore, the protection provided the headlands that form
the many bays helps keep the water within calm and inviting.
More Than One or Two
In addition to all this, St. John boasts, not one or two perfect
beaches, but beach after beach, one around each point or headland
from Lind Point to Mary Point and beyond. There's Salomon,
Honeymoon,
the beaches of Caneel
Bay, Hawksnest, Gibney, Denis, Jumbie, Trunk, Cinnamon, Maho,
Little Maho and Francis
Bay as well as the beautiful beaches on other parts of
the island such as Leinster,
Salt Pond Bay, Lameshur, Ditleff,
and as well as dozens more "off the beaten track" beaches.
Virgin Islands National Park
Because most of the island is protected by the Virgin
Islands National Park, the beaches on St. John are not overly developed
and you can almost always find a way to get away from it all
and enjoy nature in its pristine state.
Not an Exaggeration
These are just some of the reasons why the statement, made so
often by those in the know that "St. John has the best beaches
in the world!" is far from an exaggeration. It can be taken
at face value; it's just plain the way it is.
